Posts in Category: OM-1 & 100-400mm
Maine! Rimlighted Hummer
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: York County, Maine, USA, September 2023 — It seems like the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were with us late this year…a week ago we still had them coming to the feeder. I think they all slipped down the coast ahead of Lee. We have not seen one in several days. These are from a week ago one morning while I as practicing my flute and watching the feeder action just as the sun was coming up over the trees in the back yard. I like the light on the wings…or in the wings. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds-in-flight modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and assembled in FrameMagic. ISO 12800 @ f6.3 @ 1/2000th.
Maine! Goldfinch in Joe Pye Weed
American Goldfinch: York County, Maine, USA, September 2023 — Though it looks like it might be an exotic, this plant is growing, thriving in fact, in a display of native plants at a local reserve…It is Joe Pye Weed, and it is the perfect setting to show off the bright yellow of this fall Goldfinch. As you can imagine there is an interesting story behind the name of the plant. It is named for the Joe Pye, who, legend has it, was a New England tribal medicine man who treated typhoid among early European settlers with native plants…though not, probably, the Joe Pye Weed…though it has been used to treat fever, among other ailments. It is a great host plant for bees and butterflies, and, apparently the Goldfinches enjoy it as well. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 1600mm equivalent (2x digital tel-extender). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 250 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th.
Maine! Bee in Goldenrod
Common Eastern Bumblebee: Laudholm Farms (Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve), Wells, Maine, USA, September 2023 — At least three species of bees and one of hoverflies were out in great numbers in the Goldenrod at Laudholm Farms on a sunny afternoon…all busy harvesting pollen. This Bumblebee is well on the way to carrying a full load. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent from just over 4 feet. Program mode with my custom bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/800th.
Maine! Oh deer
White-tailed Deer: Laudholm Farms (Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve), Wells, Maine, USA — I don’t get much chance to practice wildlife photography in Southern Maine…I am apparently just not in the right places at the right time…but on this day I noticed a group of people staring intently out under the trees of the old orchard at Laudholm and one using his phone in camera mode, and took a little detour from my chosen path to see what they were seeing. This large fawn, already loosing its spots, was enjoying the fallen apples at the back of clearing under the apple trees, and waited patiently as I took a few photos…maneuvering to get a line of sight through the foreground brush along the trail. Such a treat! OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 640 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th.
Maine! Barn Swallow in flight
Barn Swallow: York County, Maine, USA, September 2023 — a small flock of Barn Swallows was feeding avidly on a swarm of insects just above the tops of the trees along the trail. An ideal opportunity to practice the most difficult of birds in flight. The Barn Swallow, apparently, has the widest distribution of any passerine bird in the world. This bird, as did most of the birds flying with it, looks to be a female or sub-adult male…as it lacks the long outer tail feathers. Clearly I still have room to improve my BIF skills. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds-in-flight modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/1000th.
Maine! A haggle of hen turkeys
Wild Turkey: York County, Maine, USA, September 2023 — last week I posted images from a group of tom turkeys that I encountered out on my trike…that was inland from the house…this is a similarly sized group of hens from the seaward side of the house, again, from the seat of my trike. I can get petty close if I stay seated and just inch up using the peddles, camera at ready. Of course, they are feeding right at the edge of the road, so they are expecting (as much as turkey can expect anything) vehicles to come by. It is very rare to see one hit. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm zoom at 760 and 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. First two ISO 2500 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th @ 760mm. Last one at ISO 4000 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th @ 800mm.
Maine! Greater Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs: York County, Maine, USA, September 2023 — The Greater Yellowlegs seem to be passing through in numbers right now, but I have yet to see a Lesser. They like to feed under the bridge on the way into our local beach, where you cross the tidal creek. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/800th.
Maine! Hey! Clear the runway!
Great Egret and Herring Gull: York County, Maine, USA, September 2023 — I am not sure why the Great Egret thought it had to land on top of the Herring Gull…there was lots of empty sand on the sandbar…but then I don’t have access to the flight data either. There must have been a reason. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds in flight modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and assembled in FrameMagic. ISO 640th @ f6.3 @ 1/3200th.
Maine! Strange beach-fellows
Great Blue Heron and Greater Yellowlegs: York County, Maine, USA, September 2023 — Strange beach-fellows. Or not. Both looking for food along the edge of the sandbar at the mouth of one of our local rivers. There are a lot of Greater Yellowlegs coming through headed south at the moment. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th.
Maine! Thursday special. Chipper
Wildlife photography in southern Maine is much more difficult than bird photography. The birds are pretty much everywhere, but you have to look much harder to find wildlife of any kind…unless, of course, you are talking about Chipmunks. I know, many photographers would scoff at the idea that chipmunks count as wildlife…but we take what we can get, and every once in a while, a chipper just sits up so cute that you have to take notice. And if it out in the wild (or at least away from our yard) that is even better. This one was out on the Kennebunk Plains when I was there checking the Blazing Star bloom and photographing insects. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/800th.